Latest news with #Melbourne-born

Sydney Morning Herald
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Forget scholars – this guide to filmmaking goes straight to the sources
CINEMA Filmmakers ThinkingAdrian Martin Sticking Place Books, New York, $32.19 Melbourne-born and bred, Adrian Martin is probably best known to readers of The Age for his decade-or-so stretch as its film critic during the late 1990s/early 2000s. He might also be remembered by ABC viewers and Radio National listeners for his film reviews over the years, as well as by the hundreds of students to whom he lectured at universities around the country. And anyone who happens across Emma-Kate Croghan's endearing Love and Other Catastrophes (1996) might also recognise him playing a charismatic University of Melbourne professor named Adrian Martin opposite Frances O'Connor, Radha Mitchell and Alice Garner (whose character is writing a thesis about Doris Day as 'a feminist warrior'). He's also the recipient of several major awards for his writing (including the Australian Film Institute's Byron Kennedy Award and the Australian Film Critics Association's Ivan Hutchinson Award), and his massive CV includes audio commentaries on more than 100 DVDs, a dozen or so books and monographs, a series of video essays about films and filmmaking made with his partner, Cristina Álvarez López (to whom his new book is dedicated), and a vast and regularly updated website of his work ( Not just a bloody good film critic, insightful and articulate, even if, at times, infuriatingly idiosyncratic, Martin is also a brilliant and prolific scholar – tireless, constantly curious, forever inclining towards the role of agent provocateur, restlessly moving on to the next intellectual adventure. Now resident in northern Spain, he's become one of the most respected teachers and writers on film in the world. In Filmmakers Thinking, his central concern is with the often-complex ways in which meaning is created in films. But, instead of drawing on the work of the many scholars who have furrowed their brows over 'the language of cinema' – from Siegfried Kracauer and André Bazin to Christian Metz and Laura Mulvey – he's turned to actual practitioners for their understandings. Over the years, many of them have turned up their noses at film theorists' ponderings about the art and the craft of cinema. I recall asking one of Australia's most eminent writer-directors what he thought about Bazin's notion that the only really honest filmmaking is shooting in wide-shot and allowing the viewer to choose where to look. 'Well, he can go and get f---ed' shot back the reply. And Fred was only half-joking. However, in his book, drawing on essays by filmmakers about what (they think) they're doing and about the nature of the medium in which they're doing it, public and private interviews and conversations with them, and details in the films they've made, Martin offers an insightful survey of the 'threefold dialogue' involved in any filmmaker's creative work.

The Age
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
Forget scholars – this guide to filmmaking goes straight to the sources
CINEMA Filmmakers ThinkingAdrian Martin Sticking Place Books, New York, $32.19 Melbourne-born and bred, Adrian Martin is probably best known to readers of The Age for his decade-or-so stretch as its film critic during the late 1990s/early 2000s. He might also be remembered by ABC viewers and Radio National listeners for his film reviews over the years, as well as by the hundreds of students to whom he lectured at universities around the country. And anyone who happens across Emma-Kate Croghan's endearing Love and Other Catastrophes (1996) might also recognise him playing a charismatic University of Melbourne professor named Adrian Martin opposite Frances O'Connor, Radha Mitchell and Alice Garner (whose character is writing a thesis about Doris Day as 'a feminist warrior'). He's also the recipient of several major awards for his writing (including the Australian Film Institute's Byron Kennedy Award and the Australian Film Critics Association's Ivan Hutchinson Award), and his massive CV includes audio commentaries on more than 100 DVDs, a dozen or so books and monographs, a series of video essays about films and filmmaking made with his partner, Cristina Álvarez López (to whom his new book is dedicated), and a vast and regularly updated website of his work ( Not just a bloody good film critic, insightful and articulate, even if, at times, infuriatingly idiosyncratic, Martin is also a brilliant and prolific scholar – tireless, constantly curious, forever inclining towards the role of agent provocateur, restlessly moving on to the next intellectual adventure. Now resident in northern Spain, he's become one of the most respected teachers and writers on film in the world. In Filmmakers Thinking, his central concern is with the often-complex ways in which meaning is created in films. But, instead of drawing on the work of the many scholars who have furrowed their brows over 'the language of cinema' – from Siegfried Kracauer and André Bazin to Christian Metz and Laura Mulvey – he's turned to actual practitioners for their understandings. Over the years, many of them have turned up their noses at film theorists' ponderings about the art and the craft of cinema. I recall asking one of Australia's most eminent writer-directors what he thought about Bazin's notion that the only really honest filmmaking is shooting in wide-shot and allowing the viewer to choose where to look. 'Well, he can go and get f---ed' shot back the reply. And Fred was only half-joking. However, in his book, drawing on essays by filmmakers about what (they think) they're doing and about the nature of the medium in which they're doing it, public and private interviews and conversations with them, and details in the films they've made, Martin offers an insightful survey of the 'threefold dialogue' involved in any filmmaker's creative work.

Courier-Mail
2 days ago
- Sport
- Courier-Mail
Wallabies: Rob Valetini fit for second Test against Lions
Don't miss out on the headlines from Rugby. Followed categories will be added to My News. Wallabies star Rob Valetini has declared himself 'good to go' for Australia's do-or-die clash with the British and Irish Lions on Saturday night at the MCG and has backed the decision not to play him in his team's first Test loss in Brisbane. The presence of the intimidating flanker was sorely missed by the Wallabies in the Lions' 27-19 weekend win at Suncorp Stadium. Missing the game hurt, Valetini thought he was a 'shoo-in' to overcome a calf injury and be fit for the match. 'But it was a smart idea just to have a week off and get through some more training and a bit of more loading through the calf,' Valetini said in Melbourne. 'I did a session Saturday morning. I did a pretty tough session there, so (the calf) feels good to go. 'I had to put all my focus through my recovery and getting through all my exercise and trying to get the body right for the next two Tests.' Rob Valetini is ready to return to Australia's forward pack on Saturday night against the British and Irish Lions. Picture:However the third Test on Saturday week in Sydney will mean nothing if the Lions clinch the three-game series with a win at the MCG. 'I was eager to get on the field (in Brisbane) but couldn't, and that's the challenge for us this week, knowing what's coming and trying to prepare for that,' said Melbourne-born Valetini, who hopes to deliver a strong performance in front of family and friends. Not that he's feeling any extra pressure to do so despite the series being on the line for the Wallabies. 'I feel like it's just another game of rugby and something I've been playing ever since I was young,' Valetini said. 'I just try to go out there and just do my job, whether that's carrying (the ball) or doing the tackling. I'm just trying to do my bit for the team, and hopefully I can help the other boys as well.' Veteran Wallabies prop James Slipper welcomed the likely return of Valetini, a two-time John Eales Medal winner. 'His size definitely helps – he's a really good player,' Slipper said of the 26-year-old ACT Brumbies back-rower. 'He gives a lot of boys around him a lot of confidence just the way he goes about his business.' Wallabies prop James Slipper has now played in two series against the British and Irish Lions. Picture: David Gray / AFP) Slipper suggested the Wallabies pack would also be boosted by the expected return of towering lock Will Skelton, who also missed the first Test with a calf problem. 'He (Valetini) won't be the only one that we'll be looking forward to seeing back out there this week. We've got a pretty full fit squad to pick from this weekend,' Slipper said. Slipper has now played in two series against the Lions after also being part of the Wallabies squad that lost 2-1 in 2013 when Australia won the second Test of the series – also in Melbourne – to ensure a decider a week later. 'The belief is there in the group. It's about diving into that and making sure we prepare really well,' he said. Originally published as Rob Valetini set to return from calf injury to play for Wallabies in do-or-die battle with British and Irish Lions


RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Hometown boy Rob Valetini hungry for Lions after enforced absence
Wallabies loose forward Rob Valetini said he cannot wait to get stuck into the British and Irish Lions at the weekend with his return from injury all the sweeter for the fact the second Test is in his hometown of Melbourne. In the absence of Valetini, Australia's best player for the last couple of years, the Wallabies were bullied off the park by the Lions in the first hour last Saturday before fighting back to lose the first Test by eight points. Valetini and lock Will Skelton both missed the warm-up match against Fiji and the Brisbane Test with calf injuries but are fit to bring a bit more bulk to Australia's pack for Saturday's clash at Melbourne Cricket Ground. "There's a lot of hunger to get out there, missing the last two games was quite hard for me after playing most Wallabies Tests for the last two years," the 26-year-old told reporters in Melbourne on Monday. "The Lions only come along every 12 years and I'll be almost 40 next time they come. But more than that, it's the hunger for the jersey. "It'll be awesome, I'm Melbourne born and bred, I'll have all my family there and to play in front of them will be awesome." Valetini dismissed the idea that Australia's lack of physicality in the first half in Brisbane means he will be carrying a huge weight on his shoulders on Saturday. "I don't really feel pressure or anything like that," he said. "I feel like it's just another game of rugby, something I've been playing since I was young. I just want to go out there and do my job. Whether it's carrying or tackling, I just want to do my bit for the team." Lions coach Andy Farrell credited his powerful back row of Jack Conan, Tom Curry and Tadhg Beirne with putting the tourists firmly on the front foot in Brisbane, and Valetini said he was looking forward to getting amongst them. "I was watching on the sidelines and all three were pretty involved, big boys and they did their jobs well," he said. "I was eager to get on the field, but couldn't. But yeah, that's the challenge for us this week, knowing what's coming and being prepared for it." There will also be a reunion for Valetini at the MCG when he comes up against another Melbourne-born player in Scotland centre Sione Tuipulotu (above). "I played through all my grades growing up with Sione, he was the guy you wanted to be in rugby in Melbourne..,and I was pretty shocked when he had to leave (Australia)," Valetini said. "It's been a wild journey for him to be able to come back here and play for the Lions against us. It'll be pretty cool to play against him and I'll probably try and get one up on him." Prop James Slipper, who played in the second-test victory over the Lions in Melbourne which levelled up the 2013 series, said he was delighted to have Valetini back on board. "His size definitely helps," the 36-year-old grinned. "Nah, Bobby's a really good player, he gives a lot of boys around him a lot of confidence just the way he goes about his business."


The Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Rugby-Hometown boy Valetini hungry for Lions after enforced absence
FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Autumn Internationals - Ireland v Australia - Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland - November 30, 2024 Australia's Rob Valetini in action as he is tackled by Ireland's Bundee Aki REUTERS/Lorraine O'sullivan/File Photo BRISBANE (Reuters) -Wallabies loose forward Rob Valetini said he cannot wait to get stuck into the British & Irish Lions at the weekend with his return from injury all the sweeter for the fact the second test is in his hometown of Melbourne. In the absence of Valetini, Australia's best player for the last couple of years, the Wallabies were bullied off the park by the Lions in the first hour last Saturday before fighting back to lose the first test by eight points. Valetini and lock Will Skelton both missed the warm-up match against Fiji and the Brisbane test with calf injuries but are fit to bring a bit more bulk to Australia's pack for Saturday's clash at Melbourne Cricket Ground. "There's a lot of hunger to get out there, missing the last two games was quite hard for me after playing most Wallabies tests for the last two years," the 26-year-old told reporters in Melbourne on Monday. "The Lions only come along every 12 years and I'll be almost 40 next time they come. But more than that, it's the hunger for the jersey. "It'll be awesome, I'm Melbourne born and bred, I'll have all my family there and to play in front of them will be awesome." Valetini dismissed the idea that Australia's lack of physicality in the first half in Brisbane means he will be carrying a huge weight on his shoulders on Saturday. "I don't really feel pressure or anything like that," he said. "I feel like it's just another game of rugby, something I've been playing since I was young. I just want to go out there and do my job. Whether it's carrying or tackling, I just want to do my bit for the team." Lions coach Andy Farrell credited his powerful back row of Jack Conan, Tom Curry and Tadhg Beirne with putting the tourists firmly on the front foot in Brisbane, and Valetini said he was looking forward to getting amongst them. "I was watching on the sidelines and all three were pretty involved, big boys and they did their jobs well," he said. "I was eager to get on the field, but couldn't. But yeah, that's the challenge for us this week, knowing what's coming and being prepared for it." There will also be a reunion for Valetini at the MCG when he comes up against another Melbourne-born player in Scotland centre Sione Tuipulotu. "I played through all my grades growing up with Sione, he was the guy you wanted to be in rugby in Melbourne ... and I was pretty shocked when he had to leave (Australia)," Valetini said. "It's been a wild journey for him to be able to come back here and play for the Lions against us. It'll be pretty cool to play against him and I'll probably try and get one up on him." Prop James Slipper, who played in the second-test victory over the Lions in Melbourne which levelled up the 2013 series, said he was delighted to have Valetini back on board. "His size definitely helps," the 36-year-old grinned. "Nah, Bobby's a really good player, he gives a lot of boys around him a lot of confidence just the way he goes about his business." (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)